'Faultless storytelling . . . Wise, generous, atmospheric' Observer
Growing up after the war in Westmere, an English seaside town, Kitty has been sheltered by her parents, but meeting Danny changes all of that. She decides to leave everyone and everything she knows to follow Danny to London, in pursuit of glamour and opportunity, and this sets in motion a series of events that will echo down the generations. Over fifty years later, when Kitty's body is found in her beach hut with a suicide note by her side, her great-niece will help to unravel all the secrets which the family has kept hidden over the decades.
'Explores familial legacy, generational secrets and the effects of long-lasting trauma with a distinct tenderness' New Statesman
'A portrait of sisterhood . . . powerful' Daily Mail
'A writer who never lets you down' Ali Smith
Stella Duffy has written seventeen novels, over seventy short stories, and fifteen plays. She has twice won Stonewall Writer of the Year and twice won the CWA Short Story Dagger. Annapurna have optioned her novel The Hidden Room for television. In addition to her writing work, Stella is a theatre-maker and the co-founder of the national Fun Palaces campaign for greater access to culture for all. She was awarded an OBE in 2016 for her services to the Arts. Her website is www.stelladuffy.wordpress.com.
Title: Lullaby Beach: 'A PORTRAIT OF SISTERHOOD ... POWERFUL, WISE, CELEBRATORY' Daily Mail
Author: Duffy, Stella
ISBN: 9780349012384
Binding:
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Publication Date: 2022-02-03
Number of Pages: 256
Weight: 0.2001 kg
Duffy is a fearless writer ... A portrait of sisterhood in the wider sense - one that's as powerful and gritty as it is wise and celebratory -- Stephanie Cross * DAILY MAIL *
Lullaby Beach explores familial legacy, generational secrets and the effects of long-lasting trauma with a distinct tenderness * New Statesman *
Whether it's down to the sure rhythm of Duffy's faultless storytelling or the faded backdrop of the south coast of England, her latest novel is a comforting tale despite some gritty subject matter. It opens as eighty-something Kitty takes her own life, leaving behind not just a gaping hole in the world of her two great-nieces, but a mystery, too. Four dates contained in a note seem to hold the key, concealing secrets that bind three generations of Beth and Sara's family. Wise, generous and atmospheric -- Hephzibah Anderson * Observer *
A suicide in a sleepy English seaside town exposes family secrets that have lain dormant for three generations in this
atmospheric novel . . . The action is set in the present day and the 1950s. We meet Kitty as an idealistic young girl keen to escape the monotony of her small-minded seaside existence. She elopes with an unsuitable man and starts a new life in London. But it doesn't quite match up to her expectations and she comes running back home, licking her wounds. The narrative masterfully interweaves her story with that of other women in her family, leading to a dramatic finale
* The Lady *
A writer who never lets you down * ALI SMITH *
First class * MARCEL BERLINS, THE TIMES *
Sharp insights and sharper wit * DAILY MAIL *
A powerful talent * GUARDIAN *
Nobody turns the screw of tension tighter than Stella Duffy * VAL MCDERMID *
Duffy writes with a judicious combination of power and subtlety * SUNDAY TIMES *
A versatile and gifted novelist * LAURA LIPPMAN *